Solar Energy

"Even if we didn't have greenhouse gases, we're going to have to move away from fossil fuels, as we're going to run out. They're finite, whereas solar and wind are infinite." — Ted Turner ﻿

Solar energy is the energy from the sun that can be converted into electrical energy.It is one of the cleanest and most abundant renewable energy resources.Technology can harness the sun’s light into electricity using photovoltaic cells.Photovoltaic devices produce electricity using an electronic process that can occur naturally in some materials.These materials are semiconductors, such as silicon.When photons from the light strike the material, the outer electrons of the atoms are broken off.These electrons begin to flow in an electrical current.Then, the energy is carried away from the panel into the grid or other power collector. This process can be very reliable.There are a few drawbacks to solar power, however.The panels can only pick up part of the light spectrum, so the panels don’t yet pick up the full potential of the sun.Then, of course, there are always cloudy days.The history of solar energy starts at Bell Labs in 1954.Here they first witnessed the process of the semiconductor’s electrons being split out of the atom. Solar cells began being used in 1958, when they were being made for small-scale scientific projects.During the energy crisis of the 1970s, the popularity of solar cells grew rapidly.However, prices still held people back from using them on large-scale projects.Today, prices for solar power have been rapidly falling.The prices have dropped by 33% since 2011.Besides production costs being lowered, installation costs have dropped as well.With the employment of more experienced installers, solar prices will continue to fall.Despite the decrease in costs, the United States still remains behind in the switch to solar powers.Many other countries, such as Germany and Japan, are ahead of the United States.However, the United States has been looking into investing more in the green energy panels.Solar energy isn’t completely Carbon Dioxide emission-free. It doesn’t produce Carbon Dioxide while making energy, but the process to make the panels, does.The carbon footprint of a solar cell is 72 grams of Carbon Dioxide for how many hours it takes to produce the panel.The equation looks like this: (gCO2e/kWh).Since panels are made of crystalline silicon, the process of making the panels releases Carbon Dioxide.When the silicon is being made, it is a very energy intensive process.This part is equivalent to 60% of the total energy it takes to make a solar panel.The other 40% goes to finishing making the product and transporting it.Solar energy is a very flexible energy technology that is also better for the environment than burning fossil fuels.Solar power can be used for powering a calculator to a whole city.The fact that it doesn’t produce Carbon Dioxide while making electricity makes it much more environmentally friendly than burning fossil fuels that do produce Carbon Dioxide while running.Overall, solar panels are a much better choice for our environment.